


Waking up

by Brynn_Jones



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alive Ianto Jones, Children of Earth Fix-It, Fix-It, Immortal Ianto Jones, M/M, faulty science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 13:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3328580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brynn_Jones/pseuds/Brynn_Jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A CoE fix-it. Ianto wakes up in the morgue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waking up

Ianto Jones was aching all over and despite having just woken up, he felt completely exhausted. He didn't remember, where he had last fallen asleep but the surface he was lying on was really killing his back. He felt as if his eyelids were glued together and his limbs were weighted down with anvils. He let out a frustrated grunt in hope of someone hearing him and removing the damned weights.

"Yan?" gasped someone next to him. "Ianto, can you hear me?"

He let out another grunt while trying to decipher who was calling for him.

"Can you open your eyes for me, Yan? Please?"

Ianto tried and failed. The person calling him sounded suspiciously like Jack but the affliction was all wrong. There was no trace of his usual cockiness and bravado, leaving the voice sounding both defeated and pleading.

"Ianto please, I need you to fully wake up, can you do that for me?"

He could tell Jack was getting impatient, so Ianto tried to move again. This time, he felt his arms twitch slightly and he managed to get his eyelids to slide open painfully, only for them to shut closed again at the onslaught of bright light that lit up the room. Where the hell was he? It was cold and the air smelled faintly of some sort of strong disinfectant. Was he at the hospital? He could hear Jack urging him to try and open his eyes again.

He tried to shake his head as his mouth cracked open slightly. "Lights. Too bright." he croaked out and hoped it was intelligible.

It seemed that luck was on his side because only few seconds later, he could hear the unmistakable sound of a light switch clicking and then Jack was by his side again, squeezing his hand.

Ianto moved his fingers and pried his eyelids open again. He could hold out longer this time and even managed to focus well enough to try and search out Jack's face in the dim lighting of the room. The first thing he recognized though wasn't Jack but the white ceiling of the Torchwood autopsy. It was at this point that he realised that the uncomfortable thing he was lying on, was in fact a morgue drawer.

He searched Jack's eyes in panic. What the bloody hell was he doing in the autopsy? He wasn't dead was he?

Jack seemed to be able to read his panic for he immediately started soothing him with quiet words, "Don't worry, Yan. Everything's fine. You're safe here, alright?"

Ianto nodded reluctantly and found the strength to ask, "What happened?"

A pained expression passed over the older man's face briefly before he smiled down at him. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Ianto thought long and hard. He knew they were on some kind of mission. There was some kind of biological threat, maybe? A warehouse? Or some kind of building? He wasn't sure. He could remember Jack, looking down at him, crying, telling him something, but he couldn't place the picture.

"Not much, I'm afraid."

Jack smiled again, expression still sad. "Doesn't matter, you'll remember in no time, I'm sure. I must ask you though - you do remember me, right?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "How could I ever forget?"

Jack looked pleased, squeezing his hand again. "I missed you, Yan," he whispered, full of emotion.

He must've looked confused again because Jack went on to explain, "You were gone for almost two years. I swear to you, never have any two years felt so long. I love you."

And just like that, Ianto remembered. The case, the building, the poison, dying in Jack's arms, telling him he loved him and Jack assuring him he would never forget him. So he did die after all. How come he was alive now?

"I remember, Jack," he grunted, his sore throat unforgiving. "I remember dying."

Jack nodded but didn't say anything, probably waiting for Ianto to form some sort of question.

"What happened? How come I'm still alive?"

Jack looked guilty. "Well, you're not _still_ alive... ehm, you're alive _again_."

Ianto frowned at his lover accusingly. "What did you do?"

Jack closed his eyes briefly. "I'm sorry, Yan, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't-" he gulped loudly, "I hope you won't hate me."

Ianto still didn't understand anything. "Why would I hate you? Did you save me? What happened, Jack? Tell me."

Instead of replying, Jack decided actions spoke louder and took a scalpel from a nearby table, nicking Ianto's palm. It stung a little as blood flowed from the freshly opened wound and then stung some more as the wound slowly closed by itself. Ianto just stared. He had only seen something like this happen to one person before - Jack.

"How did you... I mean, how did I... what the hell?"

Jack sighed and put down the scalpel. "The Doctor carries some of my blood on-board Tardis, so that he can experiment with it and work on a cure for my... predicament. He's managed to do some extraordinary things - like a very potent orchid fertiliser or a human substitute growth hormone - but none of them is a cure. Few days ago, he came to me with yet another development. He managed to isolate a segment of my DNA that is responsible for this immortality rubbish - I couldn't really explain how it works, the Doctor said something about splicing and gene imprinting. Anyroad, he told me I could inject the nuclear acid into another person's blood stream and they would in turn become immortal too," Jack paused with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Apparently, he had been sitting on this for the past thirty years before he finally decided to come to me - he was worried about another unruly immortal running about and sticking their conk into his Time Lord business. Well, once he came to me, he told me to think carefully about what kind of power it gave me. I had only one question for him though."

Ianto nodded, slowly catching up. "Whether you can inject it to the already dead."

"Yes. I think the Doctor knew who I would use the serum on before he even came to me. He had made sure that if the person's body wasn't the slightest bit decomposed in any way, it was possible to inject them. It did take you long enough to wake up though, I started thinking it might not have worked after all."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, before Jack lost his patience and averted his eyes. "Are you angry at me now?"

Ianto shook his head. "No. At least, not yet. I don't think I fully comprehend what exactly does this mean for me. I think I'll get used to it though, I don't have a choice do I?"

Jack shook his head. "No, you don't," he said resignedly, before grinning, "But I can guarantee you that until a cure is found, we're stuck together."

"For eternity."

"For eternity. But it might not be as long as we thing, Yan."

They were both quiet again before Ianto sat up slowly. "What time is it? Could we see the stars?" He couldn't explain why exactly he had the sudden urge to look at a night's sky but he couldn't shake it off - the need almost vibrated in him.

Jack nodded, seemingly not surprised by Ianto's request. "It's two a.m. and we're all alone in here. Would you like to go on the roof?"

Ianto smiled. "Yes," he sighed, "I'd really like that."

Their journey was long and quiet because Ianto - his muscles unused to exertion - had to concentrate on his movements and Jack didn't want to disturb him. When they finally sat down under the star filled sky, they were both knackered. Despite the fatigue, Ianto couldn't close his eyes for they were transfixed by the thousands of flickering lights above his head. He felt calm as he imagined the wonders that lingered in the depths of the universe.

Jack was a warm and supportive presence by his side and even though Ianto felt like he should be angry at him for being selfish, he couldn't find the negative emotion in himself. He still didn't know what exactly it meant to live forever, he was sure he will have a major breakdown once his loved ones started to die on him but right now and right here, he felt calm. The sweet kiss Jack planted on the top of his head once his eyes finally did close, didn't hurt either.


End file.
